Showmax is maxing out its efforts in Africa…and Africa alone, TechCabal reports.
The MultiChoice streaming service announced, last week, that it would discontinue its streaming services outside Africa by December 1, 2023. This means Showmax users outside the continent will no longer be able to access the service by then.
In a statement shared with customers, the company said, “For the moment, we will be focused specifically on the African market and on meeting the needs of our growing customer communities across the dynamic continent.”
This move comes weeks after the company also announced the shutdown of its paid tier Showmax Pro which offered users access to live sports and news from SuperSport.
Showmax 2.0 is coming to screens: It’s also a part of Showmax’s total revamp to Showmax 2.0.
The full details of Showmax 2.0 are unknown for now, but it does include a partnership with NBC Universal’s Peacock which will bring new content to Showmax. The partnership saw MultiChoice sell 30% of its stake in Showmax to NBC Universal for $30 million.
While Showmax 2.0 is set for launch in March 2024, prices for the service have already been increased since July 2023 with its Premium Plus subscription tier getting a $2 increase.
Zoom out: Meanwhile, MultiChoice is also increasing the prices of its DStv and GOtv services across the continent. Its Nigerian viewers, last Friday, received news of a 19% increase across subscription packages—the country’s second increment of 2023 since May when an 18% increment was implemented.
So far, MultiChoice is scrambling to compete with an incursion from international streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and DisneyPlus. As of 2021, Netflix had the highest number of subscribers at 2.6 million, beating Showmax’s 800,000 subscribers.
